VOLUNTEERSSETTOMAKE A DIFFERENCESATURDAY

Make a Difference Day is Saturday, and volunteers are set to rake yards, clean gutters and do other tasks to help others.

Eve Cofer is hoping the nice weather Thursday in Lawrence extends to the weekend.

She's expecting 50 to 60 volunteers to turn out for Make a Difference Day on Saturday, a national event aimed to bring people together for needed projects.

In Lawrence, the theme of Make a Difference Day is "Share a Smile, Make a Smile," and volunteers will be helping persons with disabilities, senior citizens and low-income residents by putting plastic up on windows to cut down on heating bills, raking leaves, cleaning gutters and other tasks.

Businesses are donating supplies to help offset the cost of the project, which Cofer said is important because low-income residents often cannot afford to buy them.

Although dozens of volunteers have signed up for the project, Cofer, director of the East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation (ECKAN) in Douglas County, said anyone is welcome to turn out Saturday.

"The more the merrier," she said Thursday as the mix of sunny skies, warm weather and fall leaves made for an optimum day. "I hope the weather will stay like this."

Cofer is asking volunteers to meet at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Kansas Power & Light, 333 W. Ninth St.

A Boy Scouts food drive will take place in conjunction with Make a Difference Day.

People who would like to contribute non-perishable foods are asked to put their donations out by their mailbox by 9 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers will distribute the food to pantries at the Pelathe Indian Center, the Salvation Army, Penn House, the Ballard Center and ECKAN.

If for any reason the food is not picked up, people making donations should call ECKAN at (785) 841-3357 or deliver the food themselves. Food can be dropped off at ECKAN, 1600 Haskell Ave. No. 197, or the Pelathe center, 15th and Haskell streets.

For more information about any part of the project, call Cofer at ECKAN.

-- Deb Gruver's phone message number is 832-7165. Her e-mail address is dgruver@ljworld.com.